CAMDEN TOWN HALL

Camden Town Hall in context

St Pancras Chambers (in the background) Queen Alexandra Mansions (in the foreground)

IT'S OUR TOWN HALL....

Camden's most important civic building

But there's been a take-over

by the Bottaccio Group

and now they have a Premises Licence

Despite massive local opposition by the community, on 7th November 2024 Eventhia Limited were granted a premises licence by Camden's Licensing Panel with alcohol for sale as per current "framework hours". BUT there are 69 conditions attached, so it will be interesting to see how the company manages not to breach any of these.

One of the Panel Members, Councillor Shah Miah, pointed out to residents in a later email that “any failure by the venue to comply with the 72 (sic.) conditions attached to this application can be reviewed upon request by a resident. It only takes one individual to initiate a review if there is a breach of any conditions.”

Local residents will need to be vigilant.

This is how the matter was reported in the Camden New Journal on 14 November.

The Licensing Panel on the 7th Novemmber was made up of Cllr Steve Adams, Cllr Matthew Kirk (chair) and Cllr Shah Miah.

At the hearing, there were four strong oral representations in opposition to the licence. These were delivered by three residents of Queen Alexandra Mansions, as well as Cllr. Jonathan Simpson, speaking for all three Kings Cross ward councillors.

The Applicant had stated, as a condition, that guests would have to exit 'Bidborough Works' at midnight from the Euston Road doors (not at 2pm, the closing time of the building) in order to mitigate the noise nuisance on the adjacent residential community.

Councillors Shah and Adams were in support of residents' concerns by suggesting an earlier cut-off time (6pm from Shah and 8pm from Adams). Kirk wanted 10pm, so a compromise was struck and from 9pm all visitors to the Bottaccio 'co-working' venture will NOT be able to exit from the glitzy entrance in Bidborough Street, but will have to go down several flights of stairs to the Euston Road pavement. But if the venture truely is intended as a co-working space, and not an 'event venue' as it is advertised, then this is not too arduous for the able-bodied. All disabled people will be able to use the lift to the main entrance.

For the residents whose homes are a few feet away from this entrance, the decision is a welcome reprieve from an untenable time of midnight which would have permitted as many as 743 people to emerge from 'Bidborough Works' on to the narrow residential street.

The panel hearing [on zoom] was attended by 25 people, mostly local residents, but with two representatives of the police, as well as two officers from Camden Council. Eventhia Limited was represented by Philip Kolvin KC, barrister and author of the recent NTIA nightlife manifesto.

Attendees of the hearing were told that there would be two people speaking in support of the application, one of them being Michael Kill of the NTIA - who sent his apologies. The other name given was Kate Levenstein, who had indeed submitted a written representation in support, but did not give any indication of her links to the company making the Licence Application. We note that she is director of the Copper Beech Consultancy, who list among their projects, "Concept creation, financial modelling, membership strategy, creative & operational consultancy for a New membership club in Camden Town Hall." She did not attend, and did not speak. Perhaps she thought better of doing so.

Ms Levenstein was however not alone in not disclosing her connections with the company applying for the licence. The list of supporters included identifiable employees of Pixel Evolution, Tom Dixon and Rhubarb Hospitality - all businesses on Eventhia's payroll.

There were 208 written representations in total of which 160 opposed and 48 supported. But research showed that many of the latter displayed an utter lack of transparency, a fact that does not reflect well on the ethics of Eventhia Limited and any confidence in the future management of the Town Hall by Bottaccio.

The story behind Town Hall Bottaccio

An events and hospitality business called Il Bottaccio - also known as Eventhia Limited - has been given a lease and licence by Camden Council to operate their business in the former Camden Centre, now renamed "The Vision Hall". (This is the eastern side of the Town Hall building.) Licensable activities (ie alcohol for sale and entertainment) is permitted here until 4 am (Friday & Saturday, 24 times each year). Late hours otherwise are until 3 am (Thursday), 2 am (Wednesday) and 1 am (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday). .

Il Bottaccio is soon to be ensconced in the top two floors of the main Town Hall building, a space now referred to as 'Bidborough Works', which includes 4 rooftop terraces overlooking residential dwellings.

Eventhia has submitted a licensing application to run what has all the hallmarks of a Club (for "private members" and their guests), entertaining over 600 people until midnight, Monday to Saturday (150 people may stay until 2am),

On the south side, Camden Town Hall sits in a dense residential area

The entrance and exit to 'Bidborough Works' is on narrow Bidborough Street, a few metres from 180 homes in Queen Alexandra Mansions. The extremely negative impact on the health and wellbeing of residents' of all ages (including children) is unacceptable.

Unless Eventhia’s latest plans are stopped, and the licence rejected and changed, local residents will be subject to excessive noise, traffic jams, nuisance and disturbance by a company able to operate a many faceted 'party-zone' from a building originally hallmarked to serve our community.

Eventhia wants their Bidborough Works venue to be licensed for

the sale of alcohol (11.30/midnight) and late night refreshments (1.30am),

plus regulated entertainment (11.30/midnight)..

The operating hours are from 7am to 2am (to midnight on Sunday).

Mixing restaurants, bars, and office workers together stretches belief!

A sneaky change of use?

For information:

Plans of 2nd and 3rd Floor of Camden Town Hall

(1) annotated following a community visit to the Town Hall

2) Submitted by Eventhia as part of the licence application, with limited information on the actual use of each space

The original planning approval (granted in 2019) was for office use of the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Town Hall. Following Covid, Camden agreed that a co-working facility is appropriate to 'office use'. But, as the licensing application implies, this has now morphed into an all-purpose private members club with cafes, bars, and two restaurants (one for 140 people, the other for 60). There's an auditorium proposed for 250 people. The plans (which can be downloaded above) only identifies 182 sqm as a co-working lounge: all the other spaces are for dining and drinks. The licensable activities include entertainment and late night refreshments (until 1.30 am).

Are all these amenities really "ancillary" for co-working?

With permission for events until 4 am in the 'Vision Hall' (former Camden Centre) that lies immediately next door - and easily accessible from the ground floor Reception - the licensing application appears to show that what is proposed in Bidborough Works is an entertainment and events venue that will effectively extend the licence granted in respect of the former Camden Centre.

This is an unacceptable takeover of a civic building by a business intent on using "co-working" as an excuse for turning Camden Town Hall into a 'Fun Party Palace'

Lorries on Bidborough Street - which is 'Healthy Schools street' - and ONE WAY, but lorries reverse into it....

Impact on local streets

The historic Town Hall at the northern end of Judd Street (now a central artery for C6, a major cycle route), stands at the heart of our residential community. Yet our peaceful streets - home to families, seniors, children, students, i.e. residents of all ages - are under imminent threat of being overrun by an influx of taxis, cars, and noisy cycle rickshaws, all catering to Il Bottaccio's events.

With extremely limited parking for service vehicles, the addition of an 'Uber Hub' at the junction of Bidborough Street and Judd Street only exacerbates the problem. The proposal would transform our neighbourhood into a chaotic, traffic-dominated zone, stripping away the community cohesion we've worked so hard to maintain.

This reckless plan undermines Camden's own goals to reduce traffic and pollution on Judd Street - having closed vehicular access to the Euston Road - only to hand over our streets to a business that is intent on encouraging alcoholic consumption until the early hours of the morning.

The close proximity to Kings Cross further raises the risk of drug use and antisocial behaviour, turning our neighbourhood into a haven for late night revellers rather than a safe community, Serious office workers can relax in the many hospitality businesses that exist already. The addition of cafes and bars inside the Town Hall does nothing to help the local economy.

We must act now to stop this destructive proposal in to preserve the character and safety of our local streets. Our residential neighbourhood is not a playground for disruptive partygoers - it's our home. Let's stand together to protect it.

Co-workers tend to go home at reasonable hours in the evening, it is revellers that will make use of the late night licence.

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